Thursday, February 17, 2011

Barely a minute into a conversation with Lou Russell and you can hear melancholy in his voice. When asked to describe the state of Lou’s Records, the iconic Leucadia record store that Russell’s owned and operated for more than three decades, he uses words and phrases like “descent,” “decline” and “downward slope.”

Any business owner will tell you that the last couple years have been tough, but Russell had a particularly dismal 2010.

Phish will release a limited edition 7-inch vinyl record on Record Store day. Two Soundchecks will be available exclusively at participating independently owned record stores across the country. It will also be Phish’s first ever live vinyl release and their first release in conjunction with Record Store Day.

According to the band, “This 7-inch is limited to 2,000 hand-numbered copies, and once they are gone they are gone. The A-Side is an instrumental jam culled from the soundcheck of Phish’s third show of a sold out three-night stand at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, CA. The B-Side is an especially exotic soundcheck from Hartford, CT in 2009, featuring Trey on Bass and Fish on drums.” Record Store Day is April 16, 2011.

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Mike Gordon Sets Record Store Day Releases

Mike Gordon is set to re-release his first solo album 'Inside In' and the Moss Remixes as Limited Edition Vinyl albums which will be available exclusively at participating independently owned record stores across the country.

Inside In has been pressed on 180g orange vinyl and includes “Minkinetics”, “Trinners March” and “Be Your Tape”, three previously unreleased outtake tracks from the albums. Musicians on the album include Phish’s Jon Fishman, Bela Fleck, Col. Bruce Hampton, Buddy Cage, Vassar Clements and others.

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For the record: Local vinyl collectors never lost their groove

Written byKRISTEN INBODYTribune Staff Writer

From inside an album cover picturing a sequined burrito, Tim Christensen withdraws a vinyl record from 1970 with the care one might grant an infant.

Soon the dulcet tones of the Flying Burrito Bros. fill his Great Falls home.

"This was a great band," he said.

The country-rock album, "Burrito Deluxe," is but one of 20,000 LP (long-playing) records in Christensen's collection.

"But it's not the kind of thing where you sit down and count them," he said. "You'd rather listen to them."

His collection would add up to 95 lineal feet of records and weighs two tons. Asking for help moving it is how one loses friends.

"People just love the sound of vinyl because it's really good," he said. "People are picking up turntables again. This is not a lost medium."

A hippo can open its mouth wide enough to fit a 4 foot tall child inside!

A lump of pure gold the size of a matchbox can be flattened into a sheet the size of a tennis court!

Bulls are colorblind, therefore will usually charge at a matador's waving cape no matter what color it is -- be it red or neon yellow!

One ragweed plant can release as many as one billion grains of pollen!

The world's termites outweigh the world's humans 10 to 1!

There are more than 10 million bricks in the Empire State Building!

A ten-gallon hat holds three-quarters of a gallon.

Bob May played the Robot on "Lost In Space" (1965-68) and Dick Tufeld was the voice.

and in music history today:

Birthday wishes to Yoko Ono 1933 and Dennis DeYoung of Styx (1947)

In 1955, and at the recommendation of R&B artist Lloyd Price, Richard Penniman, who was currently leading an ensemble called Little Richard and The Upsetters, sent a demo tape to Specialty Records founder Art Rupe. After some initial reluctance, Rupe will sign Penniman to a contract that will pay the singer a half cent for every record sold.

In 1962, Gene Chandler had the top tune on the Billboard Pop chart with "The Duke Of Earl", the first of his six US chart hits.

In 1966, The Beach Boys begin recording sessions for Brian Wilson's masterpiece, "Good Vibrations". Multiple layered overdubs spread out over eleven sessions would make this the most expensive single ever recorded to date. Although the record would top charts around the world and sell millions of copies, it would be The Beach Boys' last to reach the Billboard Top 10 for ten years.

In 1968, David Gimour replaces Syd Barrett in Pink Floyd. Barret had gone checked himself into a psychiatric hospital and then gone into seclusion.

In 1972, Pink Floyd premiered some material that was scheduled to appear on the "Dark Side of the Moon" album, including the song "Eclipse", at the Rainbow Theatre in London. Eventually, the playing of live versions of songs yet to be released would have to be stopped, as bootleg copies of their material started to appear before the studio releases.

In 1973, The Rock ensemble Free, who reached #2 in the UK and #4 in the US in 1970 with "All Right Now", play their final show at Florida's Hollywood Sportatorium. Vocalist Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke will move on to form Bad Company.

In 1974, KISS released their first album "KISS".

In 1976, The Eagles release their "Greatest Hits 1971 - 1975" album. To this day, it is still one of the best selling records of all time.

In 2006, Bill Cowsill, who led his band The Cowsills on their 1967 hit "The Rain, The Park and Other Things", died at the age of 58. His family learned of his death shortly after a memorial for their brother Barry, who drowned in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.